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Beyond Pretty Pictures: The New Rules for Website Animation in a Performance-First World
- LiveUP Media - Video Production Company London
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
So, you’re in the middle of a website refresh.
The Figma files are overflowing with comments, the component library is finally taking shape, and your team is deep in the trenches, searching for terms like "Figma interactive animation," "Lottie integration," and the holy grail: "performance website animation."
We know, because we’re in there with you.
Right now, we’re partnering with two forward-thinking companies, Aquila Engineer and Deep Sleep Technologies, to build out the animated language of their new websites. This work has given us a front-row seat to the challenges and opportunities that arise when ambition meets implementation. It’s no longer about just dropping a cool video onto a page. The game has fundamentally changed.
Today, animation isn’t just decoration; it's a critical part of your site's functionality, user experience, and—most importantly—its performance.
The Shift: From "Cool Effect" to Core Functionality
For years, "web animation" meant a clunky GIF, a heavy background video that tanked your page speed, or a flashy intro that users couldn't wait to skip. That era is over.
Modern web animation is about purpose and precision. It’s the subtle micro-interaction on a button that confirms a user’s action. It's the smooth, scroll-triggered narrative that explains a complex service without a single wall of text.
It's the animated SVG icon that delights a user and clarifies a feature.
This is the work we live and breathe.
For Aquila Engineer, a leader in digital solutions for offshore oil & gas, we’re creating cinematic 3D animations that transform complex data into clear, visuals. We’re not just showing their technology; we’re making their digital-first vision tangible and intuitive for their users.
Similarly, with Deep Sleep Technologies, we’re bringing a wellness platform to life. The goal isn’t to distract, but to guide. Our animations are being designed to enhance their user journey, from onboarding sequences to explaining the science behind their product in a way that feels fresh, modern, and human.
The Modern Animation Playbook: What We're Learning in Real-Time
Working on the front lines of these projects has reinforced a new set of rules for any brand looking to create a truly modern web experience. If your team is debating the role of motion in your redesign, here’s what you need to be thinking about:
1. Performance is the Foundation.
Your beautiful animations are useless if they cripple your Core Web Vitals. The conversation must start with performance. This is why technologies like Lottie are no longer a niche tool but a core part of the workflow.
By exporting animations as code (JSON files) instead of heavy video or GIF files, we create visuals that are incredibly lightweight, scalable, and won't make your developers hate you. It’s the key to bridging the gap between a dynamic vision in Figma and a fast-loading reality in the browser.
2. Integration with Design is Non-Negotiable.
Animation can't be an afterthought. It needs to be part of the design process from day one. When we see teams searching for "Figma components animation" and "UI motion design," we know they’re on the right track. By planning for motion within your design system, you ensure consistency and reusability.
We work to define how menus expand, how forms feel when you fill them out, and how hover states behave—all before a single line of final code is written. This integration saves countless hours and ensures the animation serves the brand, not just the whim of the moment.
3. Every Motion Has a Motive.
Why is this moving? Is it guiding the eye? Is it providing feedback? Is it revealing information? Purposeful animation is the difference between a memorable user experience and a distracting one. We map our animations to the user journey, asking questions like:
For Onboarding: How can motion introduce features without overwhelming the user?
For Storytelling: Can we use parallax or scroll-triggered animations to tell a linear story down the page?
For Clarity: Can an animated diagram make a complex process feel simple?
This strategic approach ensures every moving element on the page is working to improve comprehension and usability.
Where We're Going: Your Creative and Technical Partner
The lines between design, animation, and development have blurred. You no longer need just an "animator"; you need a partner who understands the entire ecosystem, from brand storytelling and UI/UX to the technical realities of SEO and page speed.
Our experience has shaped us into exactly that. We’re not just a production house that executes a brief. We’re a creative team that asks the hard questions, dives deep into your brand, and obsesses over crafting motion that is not only beautiful but also smart, efficient, and effective.
If you're in the middle of a website overhaul and these challenges sound familiar, you’re not alone. You’re just at the forefront of where the web is going.